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If you’ve ever loaded up a new save in Football Manager and scoured the globe for hidden wonderkids, snapped up undervalued talent from obscure leagues, or operated on a shoestring budget while still expecting silverware… you might find yourself wondering: which real-life clubs are doing this too?
Well, here’s your answer. I’ve scoured Europe to find the most Football Manager-style clubs right now. These are teams that scout better than anyone else, develop wonderkids like they’re running a regen factory, and embrace data and Moneyball methods harder than anyone else.
We’re not just looking at big clubs who happen to produce a few young stars. We’re talking about teams with a system. A strategy. An identity built on unearthing future stars, selling smart, and often punching above their financial weight.
Here are the most Football Manager-esque teams in Europe for the 2024/25 season. I’ll start with the Premier League teams and then go around the rest of Europe:
Brighton & Hove Albion (Premier League, England)
Brighton aren’t just Premier League darlings anymore, they’re the blueprint. Their recruitment model, driven by data and analytics, has turned them into serial over-performers.
They bought Moises Caicedo for £4m and sold him for over £100m. Alexis Mac Allister came in for a modest fee and left as a World Cup winner. Evan Ferguson, Julio Enciso, Facundo Buonanotte… the list of high-upside young talent is endless. Brighton spot them early and create pathways for development and sale.
With Tony Bloom’s data-driven approach, they’ve essentially gamified the transfer market. A proper Football Manager save come to life.
Brentford (Premier League, England)
Another smaller club in the Premier League, another club owned by a numbers guy, Matthew Benham, who literally made his money through sports betting and analytics. Brentford have scrapped the traditional academy model and run a B-team system focused on late bloomers and second chances.
Their whole recruitment philosophy is data-heavy: they model player value and performance to find market inefficiencies. Think Neal Maupay, Said Benrahma, Ollie Watkins… all brought in cheaply, developed, and sold for a profit. And now they’re comfortably mid-table in the Premier League on one of the smallest budgets.
FC Midtjylland (Superliga, Denmark)
Midtjylland were one of the first clubs in Europe to go all-in on analytics. They made headlines for using data to win the Danish league and for employing a throw-in coach before it was trendy. Owned by… yep, Matthew Benham again.
Their scouting reaches deep into overlooked markets—especially Africa, where they partner with an academy in Nigeria. Pione Sisto, Paul Onuachu, and Gustav Isaksen are just a few names who came through this machine.
They’re basically the team you’d manage in FM if you were doing a custom challenge: small city, small budget, big ideas.
Red Bull Salzburg (Bundesliga, Austria)
Love them or hate them (like I do), no team in Europe churns out future stars with Salzburg’s consistency. Erling Haaland, Sadio Mane, Dominik Szoboszlai, Dayot Upamecano, Benjamin Sesko. The conveyor belt doesn’t stop.
Their entire system is built around high pressing, high tempo football and their scouting department uses data models to identify players who fit that DNA. They even have a built-in progression path via FC Liefering (second division) and RB Leipzig.
AZ Alkmaar (Eredivisie, Netherlands)
AZ are the Moneyball darlings of the Netherlands. Billy Beane, yes, the actual Billy Beane, has been on the board. The club uses analytics to target undervalued players from the Dutch second division and lesser leagues, and their academy is one of the best in Europe pound-for-pound.
They signed Vincent Janssen from the Dutch second tier for peanuts, sold him for millions. Same story with Alireza Jahanbakhsh. They develop, they sell smart, and they constantly punch above their weight domestically and in Europe.
SL Benfica (Primeira Liga, Portugal)
If Football Manager had a Youth Intake Hall of Fame, Benfica would be top of it. From Joao Felix and Ruben Dias to Darwin Nunez and Enzo Fernandez, their Seixal academy and South American scouting are on another level.
They’ve invested heavily in sports science and analytics, using tech to monitor every inch of a player’s development. Benfica Lab is real. And it’s working.
They’re the archetype of a selling club, but done right. Big fees, big talent, big success without needing a billionaire owner.
Union Saint-Gilloise (Pro League, Belgium)
USG went from the Belgian second tier to title contenders in less than two seasons. How? Tony Bloom (spotting a theme?) applied the Brighton model to Belgium: analytics, smart loans, and undervalued players from obscure leagues.
They picked up Victor Boniface from Norway and sold him to Leverkusen. They made Deniz Undav the league’s top scorer. Even Kaoru Mitoma spent time here before his Brighton breakout.
They’ve got one of the lowest wage bills in the league and nearly won it. If you love an FM rags-to-riches save, this is your club.
Atalanta (Serie A, Italy)
Atalanta are a masterclass in sustainable success. They don’t just find good young players, they make them better. Rasmus Hojlund, Dejan Kulusevski, Amad Diallo, Cristian Romero… the list goes on.
Their recruitment is tailored to Gian Piero Gasperini’s system, and they back it up with analytics and performance data. Since 2016, they’ve turned a provincial club into a Champions League regular, while also turning a serious transfer profit.
Toulouse FC (Ligue 1, France)
Under RedBird Capital, Toulouse have gone all-in on analytics. They have one of the most advanced data departments in France, using models to assess player fit, value, and potential.
They’ve picked up undervalued players from Ligue 2 and abroad and built a competitive squad with a modest budget. You can see the spreadsheet work paying off in how cohesive their team looks, even when spending far less than mid-table rivals.
A classic FM save for anyone who loves charts, stats, and turning lesser-known players into cult heroes.
Stade de Reims (Ligue 1, France)
Reims are quietly becoming a model of youth development and smart trading. They’ve signed players like Hugo Ekitike and Nathanaël Mbuku early, sold them for strong profits, and reinvested in more young talent.
They also give minutes to youth like a Football Manager manager on a five-year project. Their structure rewards patience and player growth, think slow build, big reward.
They also had Will Still as their manager until very recently, so obviously they must be very committed to Football Manager.
FC Basel (Swiss Super League, Switzerland)
Basel have been a stepping stone club for over a decade. From Mohamed Salah to Breel Embolo, their knack for developing talent is elite. They scout well in Africa, South America, and the Balkans, and aren’t afraid to give players responsibility early.
They’re one of the most profitable clubs in Europe based on transfer sales, especially considering the size of the Swiss market.
SC Freiburg (Bundesliga, Germany)
Freiburg are Germany’s best-kept secret. Run on a shoestring compared to most Bundesliga clubs, they consistently punch above their weight with youth development, tactical clarity, and a stable setup.
Manager Christian Streich is the definition of long-term thinking, and the club backs their young players to fail, learn, and grow. Their squad is full of academy grads and carefully scouted additions. An FM save for the purists.
Final Thoughts
Every FM player dreams of building a club like this. Scouting gems, developing talent, flipping players at their peak, and building a legacy without oil money. These clubs aren’t just playing football. They’re playing the long game.
And in the modern era, that’s how you win. If you’re not already a super club. On and off the pitch.
So next time you load up a save, maybe skip PSG or Bayern. Pick a club like Union SG or AZ. They’re already playing the Football Manager way, you just need to take the reins.
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